Everett officials want Sound Transit to make good on light rail promise
EVERETT — More than 20 years ago leaders from the agency now known as Sound Transit vowed to make a priority of bringing light rail to Everett.
The original vision included Everett as a key destination, along with Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma.
“Guess what? We all know that didn't happen,” Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said.
Nor is it expected to materialize until the early 2030s — at the earliest.
Everett's mayor wants to ensure that Sound Transit makes good on its promise to his city, as the agency looks toward crafting a ballot measure to pay for another round of expansion.
Voters in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties could decide as early as November 2016 whether to fund added service through a combination of higher taxes on property, retail sales and motor vehicles. Competing bills in the state House and Senate would authorize up to $15 billion and $11 billion, respectively.
The Sound Transit board is scheduled to discuss a draft list of expansion projects — known as ST3 — during its regular meeting from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday.
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